Personnel from 120 Squadron (often referred to as “CXX Sqn”) have returned to RAF Lossiemouth after conducting overseas training in Germany.
The personnel flew to Nordholz Naval Station to improve their understanding of German maritime operations and familiarise themselves with flying in the area. This change in flight environment allowed the aircrew and engineers to understand the factors affecting their operations away from their main base of RAF Lossiemouth.
Eleven members of Crew 1 from CXX Sqn and seven Poseidon Engineers were hosted by the German Navy for the week.
Another benefit to the trip was improving the working relationship with NATO allies whilst also giving the German Navy experience of the P-8 aircraft. Germany will transition to operate the P-8 aircraft from October 2025. Four flights were organised over the course of the week, including crew training on the outbound and inbound legs.
When asked about the trip, Flight Lieutenant Clements, a Pilot from CXX Sqn, said:
“The greatest achievement of the deployment to Nordholz is a British Maritime Patrol Aircraft and Crew were briefed by a German Tactical Operations Centre to conduct a NATO Tasking from a German base using a team of British and German Engineers. We’re showing the world that NATO is united, co-ordinated and providing assurance to all our member nations.”
Over the weekend Crew 1 planned sorties for the upcoming week using the German Ops Centre and collaborating alongside the German Navy.
Some of the sorties reflected real-world missions that have only been conducted from RAF Lossiemouth in the past. This gave the crews a realistic training experience in an unfamiliar aerial environment.
The crew also visited Eckernfoerde Submarine Base to visit U-33; a German Type 212 Submarine. After being shown around the vessel, the crew observed the Submarine Officers’ course and offered a Maritime Patrol Aircraft perspective.
Gifts of plaques and Speyside Whisky were exchanged – but not before Crew 1 were challenged to find U-33 in the North Sea on the return home.
After being found by radar, mutual training commenced – including comms, radar finds and even a dummy attack run. After an hour, the Sqn wished them safe passage and returned home.
This is not the first time CXX Sqn have collaborated with maritime partners. Recently in the UK, personnel from the Sqn visited the Royal Navy to understand their operations and how Poseidon can improve interoperability with naval forces.
This exchange of strategic ideas and exposure to partnered forces is a great experience for all aircrew and engineers.
The development of the Poseidon force through these educational deployments continuously improves the crews’ skillsets and allows RAF Lossiemouth to maintain its position as a key hub for maritime protection in the North.
